Spy-Ing On Me - Games with an Spy or Secret Agent Theme

 The Name's Gamer, Board Gamer

I'm not certain what really makes the spy genre stand out as much as it does in the public eye, but I think for me it's the idea of being a highly-trained, mysterious, gadget wielding badass that flies across the world, experiencing the wonders (and horrors) of what there is to offer. Plus, there's also the idea of being able to fight some overarching evil villain with a plan to destroy the world or something of the sort and it's far more fun to have a "Big Bad Evil Guy" that you can take down rather than some amalgamus monster of corporations that are each doing their own part to destroy the world and not having life in scales of grey.

I've always loved spy movies and themes probably for that reason and it is so fun to me that there are so many board games that feature a spy theme. Movies like The Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible, and James Bond were some of my favorite movies growing up and being able to take the titular role of a spy on the table is something that is really exciting to me. I thought I'd take the time today to highlight ten board games that feature spies and/or secret agents in their theming to really dive into the world of spies, intrigue and misdirection.

Codenames

Year Released: 2015
Designer:Vlaada Chvátil
Spy Theme Integration: If you ask many people what their favorite party games is, inevitably many of them will mention Codenames. The game is designed around the "codemaster" providing clues to the agents in the field from a set of 25 separate cards, attempting to get their field agents to pick the codenames of their agents, whilst avoiding codenames for the enemy spies, the assassin and innocent bystanders. Clues are given in the form of a one word clue with a number of cards associated with the clue and clever clue masters will be able to help their agents on the other side of the table pick the right cards.

This one actually fell a bit flat for me and while many people enjoy the game, I actually found that it wasn't for me. Since I generally play games with my wife, Sarah, we are always on the lookout for two-player games. After having this recommended to us, we attempted to play it together several times, but just couldn't get past how differently we thought from one another. We had also brought it to a few parties, but it was generally not something that we enjoyed and I ended up selling it earlier this year.

Still, for those looking for a party game that allows for multiple people to sit and work together in teams, this might be the right option for you. I just never found that the game clicked well with me and Sarah, so we ended up selling it. With multiple variations of the game, including Codenames: Duet, Codenames: Pictures, and Codenames: Marvel, this is quite an easy game to introduce to your non-gamer friends with a fun spy twist.

The Resistance

Year Released: 2009
Designer:Don Eskridge
Spy Theme Integration: A social deduction game, The Resistance splits players into two factions: the resistance operatives and the imperial spies. Each round players choose which individuals to send on a mission, picking from the pool of players available and then after the team has been chosen, players can choose whether the mission succeeds or fails with the entire mission failing if one "failure" card is played by the imperial spy. Resistance Operators want the mission to succeed and the Imperial Spies want the mission to fail, but if they reveal their hand too soon, they might not be chosen for future missions. Players have to deduce who is the imperial spy amongst them and a team wins only if three successes or failures have occurred.

I've only had the opportunity to play this once several years ago, but I remember it being very tense through the entire game. The first few missions succeeded, but it was after the first failure that accusations really started to fly about who was the spy. The rest of the missions proceeded with the imperials losing due to the third mission being successful, but the constant threat of failure during the missions was enough to ratchet up the tension while we played. With several expansions for The Resistance, there is quite a bit that can be played with and the tension of this game is absolutely sure to be fun for gamers and non-gamers alike.

Spynet

Year Released: 2017
Designer:Richard Garfield
Spy Theme Integration: Also known as "Shadow Blades", this 2017 card game from the brilliant mind of Richard Garfield (of King of Tokyo fame) has players attempting to dominate one of four separate spy branches in order to play mission cards that earn points at the end of the game. Players have one of two moves to take during the game: play a card (either an agent or mission), or draw a new card or cards from the stacks in the middle of the board. There are three stacks of cards at all time next to the draw pile that players can choose from, moving from the outside stack, inward towards the draw pile. If a player chooses not to take a stack of cards, that stack is then "padded" with another card from the draw deck to make it more appealing. Once a stack is chosen, players then pad each stack that was looked at but not chosen, as well as add a card to the spot where the previous stack was.

The caveat of playing card is twofold: some cards feature special abilities that help or hinder your opponents and in order to play a mission card, players have to be dominating the branch. In order to "dominate" the branch, players must have the highest total number on agents in that field, without tying their opponents, and only then can a mission card be played in that field. With a two and three player game, each player is working on their own to dominate areas, but in a four player game, teams are formed with each team scoring together at the end of the game.

There's a fun push/pull feel to the game with players having to work together with their teammate in order to ensure that they are scoring the highest points between the two of them and can even share cards with one another to assist in those efforts. The spy theme feels extremely appropriate here as each player is attempting to outwit and outthink their opponents and earn the most points from each of their missions.

Secret Hitler

Year Released: 2016
Designer:Mike Boxleiter, Tommy Maranges, Max Temkin
Spy Theme Integration: Another social deduction game, Secret Hitler features two different factions, the Liberals and the Fascists, who have asymmetrical goals to win the game. While the Liberals outnumber the Fascists and Hitler, there is a constant push/pull for players to elect a chancellor and governor to enact a random law and for each team to have their preferred laws enacted. The twist comes that all Fascists know who each other member of the party is, including who is Hitler, but Hitler doesn't know who the Fascists are, nor do any of the Liberals know the identities of anyone else.

This social deduction game features a push and pull between the different factions with each party getting abilities if/when their articles are established. While there are numerous reskins of the game, Secret Hitler, initially was about seeking out the traitors in your midst and attempting to help your side win. Social deduction games are perfect for a spy theme as many times the secret agent doesn't know friend from foe and has to use their wits to keep them safe!

Agents of SMERSH: Epic Edition

Year Released: 2022
Designer:Christopher Batarlis, Stephen Cooper
Spy Theme Integration: Originally released back in 2012 as Agents of SMERSH, the game saw a rerelease in an "Epic" edition by Everything Epic Games which sought to bring this classic game in the vein of Tales of the Arabian Nights back to the table. Agents of SMERSH tasks the player(s) with navigating the world as a secret agent, looking to stop the schemes of Dr. Lobo and his henchmen. The game is built around dice rolls and storytelling with an absolutely massive book to read through for the various scenarios that come up with the cards. As players play through the game, defeating henchmen, gaining intel, increasing their spy's strength, and earning gadgets, they get an opportunity to face off against Dr Lobo's henchmen and eventually Dr. Lobo himself in an epic showdown.

The game is slightly more directed than it's fantastical counterpart and features an extremely robust number of player characters to choose from, including spies that are directly influenced by some famous cinema counterparts. With thousands of different interactions and different choices to make during the game, there is so much to do and players will have a blast playing spies attempting to take down the evil Dr. Lobo and his Agents of SMERSH!

Mind MGMT

Year Released: 2021
Designer:Jay Cormier, Sen-Foong Lim
Spy Theme Integration: A hidden movement game, this asymmetric spy game features one player playing as the Psychic Spy Agency, Mind MGMT, who has gone rogue and is hell-bent on world domination. The other players of the game play rogue agents who saw the nefarious schemes of the agency and are now seeking to prevent it from completing the goal of recruiting new members. With the Agency player having access to a map to hide their movements, they attempt to survive 16 turns, or recruit twelve new individuals to the shadowy agency before the rogue agents figure out their location via questions and trap them by determining what location they are currently at.

It's a shadowy game of cat and mouse with a one versus all setup that lends itself to the spy theme well and from the overall score on BGG, as well as multiple awards and nominations for 2021, this is sure to be a hit for those that are looking for a great game to sink their teeth into. Plus the idea of playing with psychic agents is a really fun idea. It definitely has a real Psychonauts vibe to it.

Burgle Bros.

Year Released: 2015
Designer:Tim Fowers
Spy Theme Integration: Did you ever fancy yourself a secret agent looking to sneak into a building, attempting to crack several safes while also attempting to make it out without getting caught? Well this is the game for you!

In this 1-4 player game, players must work together to sneak through three floors of a tower, whilst cracking the safe, and avoiding guards, all in an attempt to make it out without being caught by the guards. Each floor features a 4x4 grid that players must work through, starting from the ground floor, in an attempt to make it to their helicopter waiting on the roof for them to escape with their loot. But beware, as there are only three stealth tokens that are shared amongst the players and if a player is on the same tile as a guard, a tile is lost. Once all three tokens are lost, if a player shares a space with a guard, they're caught and the heist is failed!

With a sequel, Burgle Bros 2: The Casino Capers, that was released in 2021 and a third game being launched on Kickstarter soon, there's lots to enjoy about the series, but make sure that you don't get caught with your hand in the cookie... er... safe!

Turing Machine

Year Released: 2022
Designer:Fabien Gridel, Fabien Gridel
Spy Theme Integration: Built around a fascinating analogue computer, Turing Machine, is named after the brilliant Alan Turing, who in World War 2 designed an enigma machine that was made to decrypt Axis encrypted messages that ultimately enabled the Allies to win major strategic victories during the war.

The game itself features almost immeasurable numbers of possible solutions and with cooperative, competitive and solo modes, there's a ton to explore with this game. Additional puzzles are also available regularly, allowing there to be a large number of puzzles that can be built with the game as players attempt to crack the codes that are present in this game. It's puzzle gaming at it's finest and there's so much that can be done with this game that it boggles the mind. While I haven't played it personally, as a fan of puzzles and games, this seems to be right up my alley and I'll be adding it to my wishlist immediately.

The Initiative

Year Released: 2021
Designer:Corey Konieczka
Spy Theme Integration: In what has to be the most meta of all the games that are listed on here, The Initiative features players taking on the roles of several high school aged students who have found a board game named "The Key" in 1992. As players play through the various sessions of the game, with each one being introduced by an interactive comic book, they will find themselves challenged by mysterious events, codes and other things as they proceed through each of the portions of this campaign-driven board game. Mystery and challenge await players as they attempt to decipher the mysterious circumstances around them!

Burncycle

Year Released: 2022
Designer: Josh J. Carlson, Shannon Wedge
Spy Theme Integration: Probably the heaviest game on this list, in Burncycle is set in the far future with 1-4 players taking the roles of robots attempting to sneak into a human-run corporate headquarters that has placed AI under its control. As players proceed through the various rooms of the corporate headquarters, they receive randomly assigned programming directives that will allow them to interact with the physical, digital and command actions on the board. Players will need to work together in order to work best within the "burncycle" to ensure that actions are taken in the best order so they benefit other players and don't lose precious turns or possibly disobey the direct orders.

It's an intensely deep and challenging game that will seek to make the robots who attempt to throw off their human overlords fail at every turn, but it's your responsibility to ensure that they succeed. With threat on the rise with each turn that is taken, time is of the essence and it's up to you and other players to ensure that the robots succeed in their mission. Can you make it out without losing too many of your kin, or are you destined to remain subjugated to the human's whims?

Final Mission Briefing

This was actually a fairly easy topic to write on, I think mainly because I love the spy/secret agent theme. I'm trying to push myself to include games that I haven't played yet on these lists as it not only allows me to discover new games, but also talk about things that may or may not be something that I have experienced. The wide world of board games is massive and with new games coming out each year, I'm trying to give a wide variety of new and old(er) games.

Some Questions for you, Agent:What is your favorite spy-themed board game that you've played? What spy movie would you like to either a) see a board game rendition of, or b)see referenced in a board game? What is your favorite gadget in a spy movie used by the hero and/or villain? Who is your favorite villain in a spy movie?

As always, thank you so much for checking out this blog. If you liked it, please hit the green thumb  at the top of the page and feel free to leave a comment on the post. I appreciate all interactions and will respond to everything that I can. If you really liked the post and want more ramblings, feel free to subscribe and get new posts every Monday/Wednesday/Friday.'

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*Originally posted on BoardGameGeek on 15/7/2024*